Kitabı oku: «The Nanny Bargain»

Chapter One

“That’s all there is to it,” concluded Sawyer Banks from where he sat behind a weathered oak desk. He looked quite at home in the decidedly masculine-flavored office of his outdoor-gear shop, Echo Ridge Outpost. Leather. Wood. Wildlife prints on the knotty pine walls. “Piece of cake.”

Easy for him to say. Victoria “Tori” Janner folded her hands primly in her lap, determined to hear him out. But if her best friend, Sunshine Carston, hadn’t vouched for the rugged, blue-eyed outdoorsman, she wouldn’t be sitting here one minute longer on this snowy February afternoon. What he’d outlined during this interview was troubling, at the very least.

“Apply for the childcare position,” he recapped, his steady gaze holding hers, “and if you get it, I’ll not only employ you here at the Outpost part-time, but behind the scenes I’ll throw in an additional dollar an hour on top of whatever wage you agree on with the Selbys. Does that sound fair?”

More than fair. Suspiciously so.

Tori lifted her chin slightly, determined he wouldn’t detect how uneasy his proposition made her feel. She needed the job—desperately—if she intended to remain in the mountain country community of Hunter Ridge, Arizona. Going “home” to life in Jerome was no longer an option if she could help it.

“If I’m understanding correctly, what your offer boils down to is if I get the childcare job, you want me to spy on the grandparents of your younger siblings and report back to you.”

“Spy?” He shook his head with a laugh, his longish sun-streaked blond hair brushing the collar of his gray plaid shirt. Fine lines creased at the corners of his eyes. “That term’s extreme for what I’m asking you to do—which is to provide a weekly update on activities and exercise, diet, moods and misbehaviors, and—”

“All that detail on the boys, or their grandparents, too?”

He stopped short, then laughed again. “I don’t much care what Ray has for breakfast. Unless, of course, it negatively impacts Landon and Cubby in some way.”

“Cubby?”

“Nickname for Jacob.”

He made his proposition sound so benign. She felt silly challenging him and suspecting hidden motives. But she couldn’t go into anything blindly, no matter how much she needed a job. “I’ll be quite honest, Mr. Banks, I—”

“Honesty is exactly what I want. And discretion. Common sense.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “And call me Sawyer.”

She ignored his coaxing smile, one he’d undoubtedly perfected to sway female hearts. But she was newly immunized against that well-practiced male maneuver. “I require honesty, as well. Is it your intention for me to gather evidence that will enable you to take those children away from their grandparents? I don’t want any part in that.”

Her mom’s mother had raised her, and she wouldn’t accept a role that undermined the twins’ relationship with their grandparents.

“Whoa.” Sawyer held up his hands in defense, and she realized her brows had been lowered, her tone too sharp. Not how she wanted to come across to a potential employer. “Rest assured, Tori, that’s not my intention. Far from it. I have no doubt Ray and Therese love the grandsons my dad fathered with their daughter. That’s not the issue. The deal is that they’ve suddenly had to take on two active children. That’s asking a lot of people who’ve reached the golden years of a retirement they’ve worked long and hard for. I’m just not convinced it isn’t more than they can handle on their own.”

He again sounded reasonable. Kind and caring. Why was she so distrustful? A residual effect of her ex-fiancé’s abrupt departure, no doubt.

“While we’re not close, I have a decent enough relationship with them and the boys.” He turned in his chair to snag a photo off the bookshelf behind him and handed it to her. Gazing down at the towheaded, freckle-faced twins, she suspected the adorable twosome were the spitting image of Sawyer in his childhood.

“So I want to do whatever I can,” he continued, “to ensure the welfare of kids and grandparents alike without it appearing that I’m meddling.”

“Which is why...”

“Why I suggested they hire someone at least part-time to give them a hand. After months of debating the pros and cons between them, they’re suddenly acting on it.”

He raised a brow, awaiting her response.

Once more she glanced down at the photo, then placed it on the desk. “How long, again, has it been since the fire?”

“Over a year. Fifteen months. The twins were almost three and a half years old at the time. Four and a half now. They’ll start kindergarten in the fall.”

“Heartbreaking.” How well she knew life could be sailing along fine one minute and upended the next. “I’m sorry, too, that you lost your father and your—”

“Dad’s wife. She was never my stepmother. They’d been married less than five years before...” A shadow seemed to pass over his features.

She nodded, again acknowledging the tragic event that had left the twins orphaned. Sawyer had told her his father—widowed? divorced?—had remarried and started a late-in-life family.

“How are the boys doing? Emotionally, I mean.” She didn’t want to get in over her head. “I’m not a psychologist or counselor, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“What I’m after is a competent pair of eyes and ears—and someone who’s good with kids. Your friend Sunshine assures me you took good care of her daughter while she was wrapped up in the town council campaign last fall. That you and Tessa have a good relationship.”

“I’ve known Tess since she was a baby, so that could account for that.”

“You’re being too modest. Sunshine mentioned you grew up babysitting neighbor kids, as well.”

“I did.” That had been the only means of earning money for her artistic endeavors until she was old enough to work in one of the tourist-frequented shops. Infant care had scared her, but by the time her charges reached the toddler stage she’d done fine. Okay, maybe better than fine.

“Sunshine says you’re bright, well-grounded, sensible and loyal to a fault,” he continued, making her sound like the next best thing to a golden retriever. “She says, too, that if you err, it’s on the side of caution. That’s what I need. Someone I can entrust with my little brothers.”

She looked at him doubtfully, uneasiness continuing to gnaw as he handed her a slip of paper with the Selbys’ phone number and email address. “You’re telling me, then, that you don’t know anyone else in town who fits the bill?”

* * *

The pretty blonde with gray eyes and a pixie haircut was sharp alright, homing in on that point. Truth was, in addition to her other job-suitable assets, Tori was relatively new to town. Having lived here off and on for under six months, it appeared she hadn’t yet formed deep attachments aside from the established one with Sunshine. She wouldn’t be attuned to the histories of those who lived here—like his—and wouldn’t be likely to make assumptions or confide in others. She was a churchgoer, too, which would win persuasive points with his siblings’ grandparents during an interview. A solid recommendation from a past and present pastor and any former employers would further strengthen her prospects.

“Truth of the matter is, Tori, I’ve known Sunshine for several years and the family she’s marrying into even longer, and she highly recommends you. I personally don’t know anyone else who appears to meet the needs of the situation I’ve found myself in. I’ve never before had to be a nanny recruiter.”

He offered what he hoped was a winning smile, but Tori made a face.

“Please don’t call the position nanny.” Color rose in her cheeks, almost matching the soft pink of her turtleneck sweater. “That word always makes me picture a goat herding—pardon the pun—kids.”

He managed not to laugh as his spirits lifted at the cute expression on her face. He’d have to watch himself if she’d be working here as well as with his brothers. He couldn’t afford to let himself get distracted right now, not with the Outpost needing his full attention. He couldn’t put his livelihood at further risk by not giving his best to keep it afloat. And he certainly couldn’t risk it for what would in all probability be another here-today-gone-tomorrow relationship. But she’d obviously taken exception to the nanny label. Might that mean she was seriously considering his offer?

“Then nanny is tossed out the door. Babysitter? Caregiver? Childcare worker?”

“Much better.”

After rising from his chair, he moved around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge of it. “What other questions do you have?”

If he wasn’t mistaken, he needed to come across as open and approachable, especially considering her reservations about the possibility of being involved in a custody battle. He honestly didn’t want to be part of anything like that any more than she did. No way. What would he do with two little kids underfoot? Children were time-consuming. Demanded attention. With him being next in line for legal guardianship, per the wishes of the boys’ parents, he hoped with all his heart that Therese and Ray were perfectly capable of raising his little brothers. If investing a few extra bucks in hired help increased that likelihood and kept him out of direct oversight of the twins, it would be money well spent. And if that hired help provided him an inside line to the household dynamics, all the better.

A crease formed between Tori’s brows as she looked around his office, then toward the door that led to the main room of the business he’d inherited from his grandfather right out of college. Hunting, fishing, camping and hiking paraphernalia packed the rustic interior of a building that faced the winding, pine-lined main road through town.

“This other part-time job you mentioned,” she said, focusing again on him. “The one here. What would that entail? I’m not sure I’m the right fit for clerking in a place like this. I don’t know anything about hunting or fishing and not much more about camping, although I’ve hiked.”

“There you go. And you’ve rung up a sale on a cash register before?”

“In shops that I worked at in Jerome, yes. But—”

“You wouldn’t have to advise someone on purchases. Les, Diego or I’ll be around to do that.” He hesitated, then brushed back the hair from his eyes and gave her an apologetic look. “It’s not glamorous, but in addition to stocking, inventory and general office work, I could use assistance with upkeep.”

“You mean housekeeping, right? Not toolbox types of stuff, but dusting and cleaning and that kind of thing?”

“Right.”

To his relief she merely shrugged, unfazed. Hopes mounting, he hurried on. “Depending on the schedule you arrange with the Selbys, you can work your hours in around here as you find most convenient.”

She tilted her head slightly. “That’s assuming, of course, that I get the childcare job. If I decide to apply, I mean.”

His rising spirits faltered. “Right.”

“How many hours a week are we talking about?”

“That depends on what you agree to with Ray and Therese. Assuming it’s at least twenty hours a week there, I could probably make up the difference on this end to bring it up to a total of thirty-five or forty.”

That sounded plenty generous to him and probably more than he could afford right now. But he caught uncertainty in her eyes. “Is there a problem?”

“Well, I do have a business of my own that I’d hoped to get off the ground after a too-long sabbatical.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Not that I’m not looking for a job,” she said quickly. “I am. But I’m also trying to use the months before summer to prepare a body of work for the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative.”

He knew from Sunshine that Tori hailed from Jerome, Arizona, an old mining town turned artists’ colony and tourist attraction. So last night he’d touched base with the mother of a friend who lived there. She’d mentioned—among other things—Tori’s involvement in the arts. Although one reported incident from Tori’s teen years might make the Selbys leery of hiring her, nothing about it alarmed him. She was still a top-notch candidate.

“I’m a quilter.” She met his gaze almost cautiously, as if watching for his reaction. “Not only bedspreads and comforters, but wall hangings and other home and office decorations. Pillows, purses and tote bags, too.”

That sounded practical enough. Unpretentious. “My mom always wanted to quilt. Never had time, though, with three rambunctious boys.”

He didn’t miss the curiosity that flickered through her eyes, but he wasn’t wading into the past today. Then he glanced down at the photo of the twins, a professional picture taken not too long before their parents died. Maybe it was his imagination, but the boys seemed increasingly subdued lately, not as lively and laughter-filled as they’d once been. Was that to be expected with the loss of their folks—or was it related to something in their current living environment?

He had his suspicions. And since they’d still be living happily with their parents if he’d have taken care of business, his mission now was to see to their welfare. But time was running out on this particular opportunity. He’d learned yesterday that Ray and Therese had placed a want ad in surrounding-area church newsletters two weeks ago and were embarking on a search for a part-time live-in helper.

He motioned to the photo. “So, are you interested in the childcare position? Interviews are under way, and although I don’t anticipate a quick decision on their part, timing is critical to get your application in. If filling in here also is too much to take on, we can figure something out.”

He’d intended it, though, to serve as a perfect means of discreetly keeping in touch concerning the boys.

She stood, then reached for her coat and a colorful quilted handbag—one she’d no doubt made. Expressive eyes met his, and he held his breath.

Come on, say yes.

“Thanks for your time—Sawyer.” She offered an apologetic smile. “But I’ll need to think about it. Give me twenty-four hours.”

* * *

“I guess tomorrow night is Sunshine and Grady’s big event.” Benton Mason, a bearded silversmith, held the door open for Tori to exit the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative, where he, like other members of the co-op, worked part-time.

Hopefully she’d be joining those artists in the not-too-distant future. As soon, that is, as she could pull together the best sampling of her work for submission to the co-op’s jury for evaluation and, if given the nod, complete a probationary period. Which made it all the more important that she focus on bringing her skills back up to speed so she wouldn’t miss out on the summer tourist-season shoppers.

“Theirs is a match made in Heaven, for sure,” she chimed in cheerfully enough. But if there was anything she could do without today, it was a reminder that her best friend would wed on Valentine’s Day in an intimate family-and-close-friends ceremony. And also the related reminder that she had barely two weeks before she had to be out of the apartment above the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative, where she’d resided with Sunshine and her daughter since early last autumn.

While Tori’s friend would be moving to Grady’s cabin at Hunter’s Hideaway, his family’s enterprise catering to outdoor enthusiasts, Sunshine had hoped to hang on to the apartment awhile longer so Tori would have a roof over her head until at least summer. But co-op members voted to lease the space starting next month and, unfortunately, a jobless Tori couldn’t afford the apartment.

“Any employment nibbles, Tori?” With sympathetic eyes, Benton stood in the open doorway.

“A few.” None, unfortunately, looked half as promising as what Sawyer Banks had proposed yesterday afternoon, which happened to include an apartment at the Selbys’ place.

But the thought of being Sawyer’s undercover operative still left a bad taste in her mouth. Although she’d prayed about it nonstop, she still didn’t have an answer. She’d told him, though, that she’d give him a response within twenty-four hours.

Two hours to go.

“Lizzie and I can let you stay at our place for a while.” Benton gave her a reassuring smile. “Things would be tight with five kids under our roof, but we could manage.”

“Thanks, but I have reason to hope things will come together soon.”

“I know you don’t want to go back to Jerome, even though it’s much more of a thriving arts community than Hunter Ridge.”

“No.” Not back to where Grandma had passed away two years ago and where Heath Davidson, her former fiancé, still resided. As the old saying went, the town wasn’t big enough for the both of them. After the breakup last fall, she’d given up the rental house she’d shared with her grandma Eriksen, ready to shake off the past.

“It will work out.” She feigned a confident smile. “But I’d better let you get back to work.”

Snugging her coat collar, she started past the cluster of businesses running along the snowplowed blacktopped road, flurries frolicking in the air around her. It hadn’t taken long to adapt to the cooler high-elevation town with its towering ponderosa pines and frequent winter snowfalls. Whenever feasible, she ran errands on foot, not bothering with negotiating snow-packed roads in her blue Kia compact.

The crisp, pine-scented mountain air energized her as she made her way down the street, but as she approached Bealer’s Ice Cream Emporium her steps slowed. She’d seen an ad in the weekly paper that Pete Bealer was looking for a Saturday manager starting in May. That came too late to boost her finances enough to swing the co-op apartment, but maybe if she could line up several part-time jobs, she could afford a room somewhere.

When Pastor Garrett McCrae married Jodi Thorpe, he’d be moving out of the space he rented in the home of church members. But that wouldn’t be available until the first weekend in May, assuming they’d be willing to rent to her, too. In two weeks she could be living out of her car unless she applied for and got the childcare position.

But despite Sunshine’s encouragement when they’d talked last night, wouldn’t she feel like a dirty rotten sneak prying into the relationship some unsuspecting couple had with their grandsons? Sawyer seemed sincere enough, though, when insisting he had no intention of snatching the kids from them. In fact, Sunshine laughed when Tori had confessed that suspicion to her.

Sawyer Banks? she’d said, her eyes wide with disbelief. You think he’d willingly take little kids into his freewheeling bachelor life? Get real.

If only she had more options.

It is what it is, sweetheart. She could almost hear Grandma Eriksen’s chuckle. How many times had Gran reminded her that half the turmoil she put herself through revolved around pushing against reality and resisting a situation in which she wished she hadn’t found herself? Wasting time bemoaning rather than buckling down and digging out? If only Grandma were still here to talk to...

Great. There she went again. Denying reality.

With rekindled determination, she stepped inside the old-fashioned ice cream parlor, where she was brought up short by an earsplitting wail.

“I want my mommy!” a child gasped in what she guessed to be the middle of a crying jag.

A slightly familiar-looking man seated in a high-backed booth glanced at her apologetically. Then with renewed resolve, he refocused on the youngster she couldn’t see seated across from him.

“If you want me to take you home without ice cream, I can do that.” The gray-haired man’s voice remained low. Kind, but firm.

The child wailed again, louder, reinforcing that he wanted his mommy.

“We both know that’s impossible. Now sit up and act like the big boy that you are.”

“Mommy!”

The man glanced uncomfortably in the direction of Emporium owner Pete Bealer, who looked on with a pained expression. The couple he was serving shook their heads in commiseration. That was all it took to bring the older man to his feet as he pulled on his coat. Then he held out his hand to the unseen child.

“Come along, then.”

“Nooooo!”

The man finally leaned in to gently drag the resisting child out of the booth and set him on his feet. The boy, still turned away from her, stared down at the floor, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Poor little guy.

“Now settle down,” the older man admonished. “You know big boys don’t cry.”

A knee-buckling chill raced through Tori.

Stop it. Stop it right now, Victoria. You know big girls don’t cry.

If a bolt of lightning had crashed at her feet, it couldn’t have startled her more than the intrusion of her father’s voice as she mentally hurtled back in time.

I’m very disappointed in you, young lady.

Prying her away from him, her father had concluded his condemning statement with a rough shake, displeasure written on his youthful face. He had been leaving them. Leaving Mommy. Leaving her. And he was angry because she’d clung to him and cried as he headed to the door.

“Now stop it, Cubby.” The man’s voice jerked her back to the present.

Cubby?

Stunned, she looked to where the man she assumed to be the boy’s grandfather had gotten the sobbing child into his coat and lifted the boy into his arms. Gave him a hug.

The blond boy met her gaze with a plaintive, tear-stained face and bluer-than-blue eyes.

Eyes like his twin’s?

Like those of his older half brother?

Shaken, she offered him an encouraging smile, then watched as grandfather and grandson exited the ice cream shop.

“Miss?” the shop’s owner called out. “Sit anywhere you’d like, and I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Um, no, thanks. I’ve changed my mind about...ice cream.”

She waved a distracted farewell, then stepped outside where snow now descended in earnest.

She had her answer.

It would only take a quick minute to phone the Selbys and express her interest in the caregiver position. Then if given the go-ahead to apply, tomorrow she’d submit a résumé and solicit letters of recommendation.

Pulling up her hood against the buffeting wind, Tori headed in the direction of her apartment, the broken-hearted sobs of a little boy—and a little girl—still echoing in her ears.